chipotle beef chili

Chipotle Beef and Red Bean Chili

So, I was going to put this chili in a bowl, top it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onion, you know, make it pretty, then take my cover photo but I totally forgot and by the time I remembered even the leftovers were gone. This happens more often than I’d like to admit and usually, I just won’t post the recipe until I have a chance to make it again. Sometimes you have to just move forward though and put the perfectionist tendencies aside if you want to get anything done. I’m working on that, thus the subpar cover photo.

Now that I’ve unnecessarily explained myself, I’ll move on. I guess I need to work on that too…

I made this recipe in my new favorite kitchen appliance, the Instant Pot. It’s a pressure cooker but way less scary than the old stovetop kind. I normally steer clear of such things but my good friend was raving about hers (she loves it so much she has two!) so I thought I’d give it a try. The two things I love most about it are the way it tenderizes meat and the way it marries flavors in soups/chili/sauces the way a slow cooker would but in a fraction of the time. I could go on and on about it but, at the risk of sounding like an infomercial, I’ll just give you the link so you can check it out yourself  http://instantpot.com/.

PLEASE NOTE: I’ll show instructions for the pressure cooker here but you can also easily make this on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. The steps and measurements are the same (Just remember you can’t saute in most slow cookers so you’ll have to do that on the stove). The only difference with the stovetop method is that your meat won’t get quite as tenderized as it would in the pressure cooker or the slow cooker but it will still be good. Just let it simmer for at least an hour on low heat after putting it together.

Chipotle Beef and Red Bean Chili
(10 – 12 servings)

*1 lb beef roast, chopped or ground beef

1 TB olive oil
1 large sweet onion (should yield about 2 cups), chopped
2 bell peppers (any color), chopped
1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp Mexican oregano (you can sub with Greek)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery seed (optional)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 – 4 chipotle in adobo peppers
1 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
2 15oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
approximately 4 cups beef broth/stock
1 6oz can tomato paste

*I had leftover, precooked frozen prime rib in the freezer that I used for this recipe but you could really use just about any cut of beef. If it’s already cooked like mine was, add it after you saute the veggies. If it’s raw, brown it first, then remove it from the pan and set aside while the veggies cook, then add it back in. 

Heat oil in the Instant Pot set on “Saute” mode. If you need to brown your meat, begin to do that otherwise move on to the next step.

Add chopped onions, bell peppers, carrots, salt, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, celery seed and black pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring often until the veggies begin to get soft.

chipotle beef chili

Add beef.

Chop 2 – 4 (more if you want it spicier) chipotle peppers in adobo and add to the pot along with grated/chopped garlic, tomatoes, and red beans. Stir to combine.

Add beef broth/stock, enough to come up to the top of the mixture (about 4 cups) then stir in tomato paste.

chipotle beef chili

Select the “Manual” button on the Instant Pot and set the time for 8 min on high pressure. It will take about 15- 20 minutes for it to get up to pressure, then another 15 – 20 to come down on natural release but you will still have chili that tastes like it’s cooked all day in under an hour cooking time.

Serve with your favorite chili toppings. We like to crumble some tortilla chips on top along with cheddar, sour cream, and green onion.

The question below was often posed to Bob and I by our dear friend and mentor, Pat Johnston, years ago when he helped us with our then rapidly growing sporting goods business. We refer back to it again and again and have asked the same question of many employees along the way. The answer is almost always the same, most people are adamant that it’s more important to do things right, but that’s actually incorrect (Unless we’re talking brain surgery or the like.). As he taught us, our drive for perfectionism keeps us from moving forward, therefore, it’s much more important to do the right things otherwise we get stuck and that certainly is no way to grow a business. Or a life for that matter. We lost Pat to cancer 11 years ago this month and we miss him so much! He’d be happy to know I’m still learning lessons from him.
 
“Is it more important to do things right or to do the right things?” 
Pat Johnston
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